Together
by Rointheta
Summary: "Once she'd shared all of it with him, she shifted her weight back and forth, fingers fiddling with her hoop earring as she waited for his reaction. He nodded a few times in slow movements, then stood up and began to undress himself, leaving his clothes in a heap beside his feet, boxer-briefs on top."


**First Time Ficlet Prompt**_ - "TenToo/Rose first time skinny dipping. ;)"__**  
**_**Prompt giver:** wilfredtennant  
unbeta'd

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**TOGETHER**

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Rose looked out over the moonlit, rippled ocean. Sand covered her bare toes, a light breeze ruffled her hair, and the Doctor sat beside her, playing with her fingers. They'd left the small, seaside inn, with its paper thin walls and a nosy Jackie Tyler in the adjacent room, and returned to the beach to have a proper talk. They'd had their fair share of those before they got separated, after arguments, betrayals, and lies by omission, and he'd never been the one to break the silence. He'd always waited for her, and he waited now as well, though in vain. The words popping up in Rose's head–half-formed questions, or things he ought to know about this older, more broken version of the woman he once loved–seemed too cloddish to utter.

The sound of the Doctor sighing started her out of her thoughts, and she turned to him, brow furrowed, searching his features for a hint of his emotions. He met her eyes without wavering, warmth and longing shining through, and he smiled, a soft quirk of his lips. She smiled back, wider and open, tongue poking out between her teeth. She'd waited so long, and some days she'd struggled to keep her hopes up, but here they sat–together, at long last–and her mind quieted. He let go of her hand and cupped her cheek, angling his head as he leaned in closer. Her eyes fluttered shut, lips parted and welcoming his tongue, now that they didn't have an audience.

When they'd kissed earlier, she'd been too confused and conflicted–and dazzled by his whispered confession–to pour her heart into it, or to notice if he'd felt the same as always. Now, she hummed in pleasure, and some relief, as their mouths met and his familiar taste and scent filled her senses. Cradling her head, one arm wrapped around her waist, he moved them to lie on the beach, legs entangled. He pressed gentle kisses from one corner of her mouth, along her bottom lip and to the other corner, his hand dipping under the hemline of her top. She stiffened.

He slipped his hand back, gripping her hip instead. "I'm sorry. I thought…"

"Yeah. I want to. Believe me." She ran her fingers through his hair, whispering, "I've missed you. _So much_. Missed being with you. But… I've changed."

He nuzzled her cheek. "Yes, time does that to you. I don't care about that. Besides, you can't have changed _that_ much in five years."

"No, that's–" She shook her head, chuckling at him, then placed her hands on his chest and pushed. He moved back and they sat up, facing each other. "There are a few things I need to tell you before we… I've done things. I've…"

"Things?"

She sighed. "I'll just show you. Reckon it'll be easier." She stood up and took a good look around. The beach lay empty and, save the waves' gentle lapping, quiet. She pulled off her top in one smooth movement, removed her trousers, slipped out of her bra, and tugged down her knickers. Her heart clenched when she noticed him staring at her stomach. "Suppose your night vision hasn't changed, then."

He tore his eyes from the scar across her abdomen. "What…?"

"That's from a scythe. And a misunderstanding, actually. We became…_friendly_, at least. Never really had time to be much else. And she helped me track down someone I needed to find. This," Rose said, pointing at an old knife wound on her thigh, "was my first after I started jumping. Got it from a man who tried to– But I fought him, got ahold of the knife, and… Well, I stabbed him when he tried to… Don't know if he– 'Cause I had to move. I couldn't… I didn't even call for help. Just left him in the street." She licked her lips and swallowed, moving her hand to her shoulder. "This is a gunshot wound. I got her, though, before she could hurt the boy I was protecting. She didn't make it."

He wore his neutral mask as he listened, dark eyes following her fingers as she continued to show him every scar. She told him the story behind them with as few words as possible, trailing off whenever it became too much and she needed to rein in her emotions. Once she'd shared all of it with him, she shifted her weight back and forth, fingers fiddling with her hoop earring as she waited for his reaction. He nodded a few times in slow movements, then stood up and began to undress himself, leaving his clothes in a heap beside his feet, boxer-briefs on top.

"I don't scar easily–"

"And that's a brand new body."

He looked confused for a second, then gave her a tight smile. "Right. Yes. New, new, new Doctor." He touched his chest, hand curled over his missing right heart. "How could I forget?"

She placed her hand over his, squeezing it. "I'm sorry. Did I… I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I'm not upset with _you_, Rose."

"Yeah, all right."

"I'm not." He pulled her in for a hug, his still cooler skin meeting her warm body. She shivered and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Rose, just because you can't see my battle scars, it doesn't mean I don't have them."

"I know. Both of us need fixing, then."

"Oh, is that…" He let out a chuckle. "Oh, Rose. He didn't mean that. I'd never leave you with someone dangerous, someone broken for you to fix. And he didn't leave you 'cause you've changed. I never would."

"I know. I _do_ know that, but…"

"C'mon." He grabbed her hand and tugged her with him toward the ocean. "Let's go for a swim."

"Now? Isn't it cold?"

"It's a warm night in July. Shouldn't be too bad. Warmer than the air, I'd imagine."

"'Kay. But we don't have any towels."

"Oh, Rose. Don't tell me you've lost your wild side! Or your appreciation for symbolism, for that matter." He grinned, backing into the waves whilst she stayed at the shore. "We're purging ourselves from our sins. Getting a fresh, new start."

"Yeah, all right. And I could even christen you," she said, grinning. "Pour some water on your head, give you a proper name and all."

He eyed her, nose crinkled. "What? Why?"

"Oh, you know. Legal purposes and such."

"Don't need it. Got a spare psychic paper in my pocket. And I'll just use John Smith, as always."

"Hm…" She tapped her chin. "Suppose I could get used to crying out 'John' when we shag. Would've preferred something more romantic, though. How about Valentine? Or maybe Tristan."

His eyes grew wide, jaw dropped. "What?! No. No, no, no. You're calling me Doctor. Just Doctor. Nothing but Doctor. Right, Rose? Right?"

"Dunno about that. Maybe Jack Harkness? Shouldn't be one in this time in this universe, yeah? Oh, Jack!" She let out a long moan. "Mmm, _Jack_! Yeah, could work. Oh, Jack, fu–"

The Doctor hurled himself forward and shut her up by pressing his body against her, hands splayed over the small of her back. He moved his lips over hers, dipping his tongue into her mouth and she caught it between her teeth, eliciting a moan from him as she sucked. She looped her arms around his neck and pushed him across the shallow beach, walking farther into the ocean until the water reached their hips and they fell into the tepid waves together.

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_the end_


End file.
